Electrical fixture



Dec. 1, 1942.

E. G. GODDARD ELECTRICAL FIXTURE Filed March 22, 1941 V 2 Sheets-Sheet l ZZZ/803407? V 1820220 6. Goddard Dec. 1, 1942. E. G. GODDARD 2,303,630

ELECTRI GAL FIXTUR E Filed March 22, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 741 $9 Z2101}; 6. 60mm Patented Dec. 1, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL FIXTURE Edwin G. Goddard, Lombard, 111., asslgnor to Jefferson Electric Company, Bellwood, 111., a

corporation of Illinois Application March 22, 1941, Serial No. 384,655

3 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical fixtures, and more particularly to such fixtures which are designed for safety and ease of manufacturing, as well as for convenience in use.

The development of tubular electric lamps for illumination, some of which require high voltage for operation, has brought about a necessity for safe and reasonably priced fixturesto accommodate those lamps.

It is an object of this invention to provide well insulated fixtures for tubular electric lamps which have no exposed electrically conductive parts which are normally, or might become connected to any of the current carrying parts of the circuit in which the fixtures are used. This object is accomplished by providing fixtures having enclosures of insulating material which cover all of the electrically conductive parts and extend well beyond all electrically conductive parts near the necessary fixture openings.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical fixturehaving an insulating outer enclosure including a removable cover and internal electrical connectors, said cover carrying a connecting element which opens the electrical circuit through the fixture when the cover is removed. This object is accomplished in the instant disclosure by providing a fixture having adjacent electrical connectors within an insulating housing and a bridging element for electrically connecting the adjacent connectors, which bridging element is secured to and removable with a removable insulating cover.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical fixture including connecting elements which may be firmly secured in position within an insulating housing without the use of fastening means which extend through the walls of the housing. This object is accomplished in the fixture disclosed by providing wings on the connecting elements which fit snugly into grooves in the housing walls and also providing detents which engage in a recess in the housing walls.

Another object of this invention is to provide sets of fixture parts adapted to hold series or groups of tubular electric lamps in a desired arrangement. This object is accomplished by providing fixture parts of different shapes for holding the ends of one or more lamps and fixture parts for connecting the ends of the lamps together in end-to-end relation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fixture part for holding the end of a tubular lamp which has a cover removable for removing the lamp therefrom and having a circuit closing element removable with said. cover for opening the circuit to the lamp when the cover is removed and before removal of the lamp may be effected.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In-the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram which illustrates one. adaptation of fixtures comprising a preferred embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of one type of fixture part shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is aside sectional view with the section taken substantially on a line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of another of the fixture parts shown in Fig. l which comprises a preferred embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the fixture part shown in Fig. 4, with the section taken substantially on a line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. dis a top elevation of a portion of the fixture part shown in Fig. 4 with the portion and direction of view indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 4 and the accompanying arrows;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the fixture part shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of parts of the fixture shown in Figs, 4, 5 and 6;

Figs. 9 and 10 are fragmentary sectional views of portions of the fixture parts shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, with the position of the section for Fig. 10 indicated by the line Ill-I0 of Fig. 4; and

Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively side sectional and end elevational views of another of the fixture parts shown in Fig. 1.

Having particular reference to Fig. 1, a series or group of tubular electric lamps 20, 22, 23 and 4 24 which are preferably of the high voltage, cold cathode, gas discharge tube type are supported and connected in series circuit relation by fixture parts 25, 2B, 21, 28 and 29. The fixture parts 25 and 29 are of an angular or bracket type such as that shown in Figs. 11 and 12 and are adapted to be secured to a wall or support such as 30 by screws or other suitable fastening means such as 32 for supporting ends of the lamps 20 and 23 and making electrical connections to those ends of the lamps. The other ends of the lamp 20 and 23, as well as ends of the lamps 22 and 24 are supported by similar fixture parts 26 and 28, which fixture parts are illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive. The other ends of the lamps 22 and 24 are supported by a single end fixture part 21 and are llectrically connected together thereby. The fixtu e part 21 is preferably constructed as illustrate in Figs. 2 and 3. The fixture part 21 is adapted to be secured to a wall or support such as 33.

A suitable transformer 34 provides the proper operating potential for the group of lamps 28, 22, 23 and 24. This transformer 34 preferably comprises a core 35, a] primary winding 38 and secondary windings 81 and 38. The secondary windings 31 and 38 are connected in series across the lamps with their voltages aiding or adding. One end of the secondary winding 31 is connected to the lamp 28 through the fixture part 25 and one end of the secondary winding 38 is connected to one end of the lamp 23 through the fixture part 28. winding 31 is grounded at 38, and the other end of the secondary winding 38 is grounded at 48 through a winding 42 of a relay 43'. One side of the primary winding 38 is connected to a line terminal 44 through a main line circuit control switch 45. The other side of the primary winding is connected to a line terminal 48 through contact means 41 of the relay 43. The line terminals 44 and 48 are adapted to be connected to a source of alternating current power of suitable potential.

With this preferred circuit, as illustrated, operating potential is applied to the lamps 28, 22, 23 and 24 by first closing the main line control The other end of the secondary switch 48 and then manually closing the relay contact means 41. This closes the circuit from the source of power to the primary winding 38, whereupon potential is applied across the lamps which are connected in series circuit relation. Operation of the lamps, as by a discharge through the gas between the lamp electrodes, causes a current flow through the secondary windings 31 and 38 and through the winding 42 of the relay 43. The current flow through the relay winding '42 holds the contact means 41 closed during the normal operation of the lamps and until the current flow through the relay winding- 42 is stopped by opening the secondary circuit or by-opening the primary circuit through the main line con.-

trol switch 45.

Having particular reference to Figs. 2 and the fixture part 21 has an insulating-body 48 which is made of insulating material which is preferably non-moisture absorbing such as porcelain, glass or'some of the well known'moldable materials such as Lucite. This fixture part 21, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is used-to hold the ends of two lamps, which extend in substantially par allel relation in the same direction therefrom. The body 48 has an opening therein which is -is made of Lucite."

asoaoso electrical contact with the end terminals of lamps which fit into the openings 48 and 58 respectively are secured to the terminal brackets 58 and 88 by fastening means such as rivets 85 and 88 and cooperating washers 81 and 88 respectively. Fl!- ture parts such as this, and also that disclosed in Figs. 11 and 12, preferably have the contact springs set well back into the openings to prevent accidental contactwith the contact springs. To meet safety requirements, the distance between the ends of the springs and the end of the extending body should be increased if the protective relay such as 43 in Fig. 1 is not used to deenergize the circuit when a lamp goes out and necessitates replacement.

Having particular reference to Figs. 4 to 1 inclusive, the fixture part has a base 88 and a cooperating cover 18. The base and cover are made of insulating material such as porcelain, glass or Lucite. In the preferred form, the base 88 is made of porcelain and the cover 18 The cover and base are each recessed at opposite ends to provide lamp receiving openings 12 and 13. Also the base has openings such as 14 therein for the accommodation of mounting screws.

To avoid having any live electrical parts which extend through the housing, terminal support brackets 15 and 18 fit into recesses 11 and 18 respectively in opposite sides of a partitioning wall 18 which is preferably integral with the base 88. The terminal support bracket 15 has projecting side portions 88 and 82 which snugly fit into oppositely disposed channels 83 and 84 on opposite sides of the recess 11. In like manner, the terminal support bracket 18 has projecting side portions 85 and 88 which snugly fit into channels 81 and 88 on opposite sides of the recess 18. The parts of the terminal support brackets 15 and 18 which fit between the channels are sufficiently wide that thosev portions of the brackets are .bowed to maintain pressure of the brackets against the channel walls. In addition to this pressure which aids in firmly holding the terminal support brackets in position, detents 88 and a 88 are preferably provided on the mid-portions of the brackets-which engage cooperating recesses in the partitioning wall 18 to additionally lock the terminal support brackets in place. Clips 82 and 83 'are respectively secured to the brackets 15 and 18 by fastening means such as divided into lamp receiving openings 48 and 58 by a partitioning element 52, which partitioning element fits into-the opening in the body and is preferably held in place by wedge fibers such as 53 and 54. The partitioning element .52 has oppositely disposed tongues 55 and 58 which are aligned with-slots 51 and 58 respectively in the body 48. Thin strips of fiber or similar material placed overthe tongues 55 and 58 when the partitioning element is pushed into position are deformed by the tongues and slots and firmly wedge the partitioning element in position.

Terminal brackets 58 and 88 are secured to opposite sides of the partitioning element 52 at the inner ends of the openings 48 and 58 by a rivet or other suitable fastening means 82. Contact springs 83 and 84 which engage and make rivets 84 and 85.for,holding and making electrical connection to the ends of lamps such as 28 and "or 23 and 24 in Fig. 1. By this terminal support structure the clips are separately secured in position without the aid of electrically conductive parts extending through the walls of the base 88 or the partitioning wall 18 and are separately insulated.

A transverse recess 84 in the inner surface of the cover 18 provides oppositely disposed channels 85 and 88 on opposite sides thereof into which the ends of an anchor plate 81 snugly fit.

This anchor plate 81 is preferably bowed to provide pressure against the walls of the channels 85 and 88 for holding the plate in place. A substantially U-shaped connector or electrically conductive bridge element 88 issecured to the anchor plate 81 by fastening means such as a rivet 88, one head of which rivet serves as a detent and engages a recess I88 in the cover 18 to locate the anchor plate and connector and to aid in looking those parts in position. The U-shaped connector 88 is preferably resilient and has curved end portions I82 and I83 which snap over within the housing. The jack curved or flanged ends I04 and I respectively 1 of'the terminal support brackets I5 and I6. This connector or bridging element thereby electrically connects the terminal support'brackets I5 and when the cover 10 is in place and breaks the circuit therebetween when the cover is removed. It also provides a snap catch for holding the cover I0 in place with respect to the base 69. It will be understood that when the circuit of Fig. 1 including the relay 43 is utilized, the removal of the cover of one of the fixtureparts 26 or 28 de-energizes the relay and opens the primary circuit of the transformer. Hence, when one of the covers is removed for changing the lamp, the circuit is de-energized.

Having particular reference to Figs. 11 and 12, a housing I06 of insulating material such as porcelain has angularly projecting portions I 01 and I08 and isadapted for use such as that illustrated by the fixture parts 25 and 29 in Fig. 1. The portion I01 of the housing has an opening I09 therein adapted to accommodate the end of a tubular lamp. The portion I08 of the housing has a lead opening therein for accommodating the end 01 a connecting wire. Flanges such as III and H2 are preferably provided onthe sides of the housing for mounting the fixture part. The openings I09 and II 0 are connected within the housing by a channel or opening II3.

A bracket H4 has a contact spring II5 secured thereto within the opening I09 by a rivet or other suitable fastening means H6 and a cooperating washer II'I. A threaded opening H0 is provided in the bracket H4 'within the opening H0 in the housing. A jack type terminal IIS has a, threaded end portion I threaded into the opening H8 and engaging a wall of the channel H3. The engagement of the end of the threaded portion I20 of the terminal H9 with the wall of the channel H3 urges an end I22 of the bracket IIl against a shoulder I23 of the housing and also urges the bracket against a projecting portion I24 to hold the bracket Ill, contact spring 5 and terminal H9 in position type terminal II! has resilient fingers I25 on opposite sides thereof which have curved portions extending into the terminal to grip a suitable plug which is secured to the end of a connecting wire or lead I26. While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

,What is claimed is:

1. An electrical fixture part comprising, in combination, a housing of insulating material including a base and a removable cover and having an opening at the end, adjacent connecting elements secured to the base within the housing,

said. connecting elements each having a tongue,

including a flange portion, and a substantially U-shaped bridging connector secured to the removable cover and having resilient sides including curved end portions engaging and electrically connecting the connecting elements when the cover is in place, said fiange portions on the connecting elements and said curved end portions of the resilient sides of the bridging connector engaging to hold the cover in place.

2. An electrical fixture part for holding and connecting a pair of tubular electric lamps in.

end-to-end, series circuit relation and comprising, in combination, a housing of insulating material including separable parts and having lampreceiving openings in the ends, a pair of adjacent lamp holding and connector clips secured within the housing to one part and having u s thereon, and a connector secured to the other of said parts within the housing and having means adapted to grip said tongues to hold said parts together and provide an electrical connection between said clips.

3. An electrical fixture part comprising, in combination,.a base and a cover of insulating material adapted to fit together and providing a housing havinmopenings at opposite ends, an integral insulating partition on the base dividing the housing into two compartments, connector clips on opposite sides of the clips being secured to the bracket means and a substantially U-shaped connecting element secured to the cover, said connecting element being in position to bridge said partition and provide an electrical connection between the connector clips.

. EDWIN G. GODDARD.

partition afid*in alignment with the openings, means providing 

